Description ⁴

Fairly stiffly branched fronds growing from a discoid holdfast, covered with small branchlets arranged in whorls. Maximum length usually about 15 cms.

Distribution ⁵

Widespread around the British Isles from the Shetlands to the Channel Islands. Europe: Azores, Portugal, Atlantic coasts of Spain and France, Baltic Sea, Norway, Faroes and Iceland. Atlantic coast of North America: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Loong Island. Further afield: west coast of Greenland in Baffin Bay, Canary Islands, Australia and Tasmania.

Habitat ⁶

Common. Mainly epilithic in rock pools of the mid-littoral to upper sublittoral.

Habitat ⁷

Depth range based on 96 specimens in 3 taxa.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 8 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 24.69
  Temperature range (°C): 11.471 - 12.348
  Nitrate (umol/L): 4.729 - 6.151
  Salinity (PPS): 35.035 - 35.363
  Oxygen (ml/l): 6.128 - 6.339
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.336 - 0.421
  Silicate (umol/l): 2.315 - 3.388

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 0 - 24.69

Temperature range (°C): 11.471 - 12.348

Nitrate (umol/L): 4.729 - 6.151

Salinity (PPS): 35.035 - 35.363

Oxygen (ml/l): 6.128 - 6.339

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.336 - 0.421

Silicate (umol/l): 2.315 - 3.388
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this note. Your feedback is most welcome.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) National Museums Northern Ireland and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/algae/claspo.jpg
2. Pierre-Louis Crouan (1798-1871) & Hippolyte-Marie Crouan (1802-1871), no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cladostephus_spongiosus_Crouan_(1).jpg
3. Pierre-Louis Crouan (1798-1871) & Hippolyte-Marie Crouan (1802-1871), no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cladostephus_verticillatus_Crouan_(2).jpg
4. (c) National Museums Northern Ireland and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/5972636
5. (c) National Museums Northern Ireland and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/5972638
6. (c) National Museums Northern Ireland and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/5972637
7. Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/17408701

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas

Range Map

(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

iNat Map